Avoiding Trans Fats in Restaurants

Not a Quick Fix

It's important to note that limiting trans fats is only one factor affecting
heart disease risk, experts say. Tufts University cardiovascular researcher
Alice Lichtenstein thinks the impact is yet to be determined.

"It is likely to be a positive effect, as long as consumers understand
that eliminating trans fats from their diets is only one piece of the puzzle
and not a quick fix for heart disease risk," she says.

Unfortunately, fixing the American diet will take much more than eliminating
trans fats from restaurant and home menus.

"We need to help consumers understand that good health is more than
eliminating a single food," she says. "It is a lifestyle that includes
regular physical activity, a healthy diet and being at a healthy
weight."

Lichtenstein thinks reducing obesity should top the list of ways to prevent
heart disease.

"The big gorilla in the room is body weight, and it is getting worse
instead of better," she says.

"Banning trans fats in restaurants does not address the obesity issue,
which is due, in part, to eating large portions of high-fat foods," she
says. "Even if the fettuccine Alfredo is trans fat-free, it is still loaded
with fat and calories."

Legislate or Educate?

Isn't it enough to inform consumers about trans fats, without letting
lawmakers decide which foods we should avoid?

Taub-Dix thinks it is an excellent idea to encourage restaurants to use
healthier fats. But she thinks it is more important to educate consumers.

"We need consumers to take responsibility to learn more about the food
they eat and how it affects their health, whether they are eating at home,
ordering takeout, or at a restaurant," she says.

Consumers need a crash course in all kinds of fats in the diet, she
says.

"People think trans fat-free means fat-free, which is the wrong message
that can be misinterpreted and lead to overeating," says Taub-Dix.

She is concerned that food packages and restaurant menus boasting "zero
trans fats" may end up misleading consumers.

"In the grocery store, read the labels; and in restaurants, ask a few
questions to make sure the trans fats have not been replaced with unhealthy
saturated fats," she says. "And also be mindful of portion sizes and
calories."